Two stars is probably generous. One of those book I only just kept going with and as I persevered to the end, eventually wondered why.

Set in a Kent village and told from the perspective of two women (Patti who likes her star signs and Alex who has recently been widowed and arrived from the USA) the “action” revolves around a boy’s football team and a vlogger who is revealing secrets about villagers. There are too many characters who are insufficiently developed beyond basic caricatures to care very much about any of them. Sorry this one wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for a fair review

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I have previously read '24 Hours' by author Claire Seeber and really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to her latest book. I found this to be an exciting read with great characters and lots of twists and turns. You will be happy you chose to read this!

Having not enjoyed her previous novel, I decided to give Claire Seeber’s work another chance. Nope, not for me this time, either. It’s too bad because it started off strong; the wording, POV, and pace was spectacular. The premise of a small, country village with a newcomer and lots of secrets appealed to me as much as the “completely addictive page-turner” and “jaw-dropping twist.” However, the five-star start quickly fizzled out to a three-star finish despite the late entry suspense. It was as if a different person wrote the rest of the book.

According to Seeber, the book exposes what happens when things go awry, and ambitions and dreams are horribly broken. She has used the parents and the vlog to carry her domestic suspense.

The main problem? It was the same as the issue with The Street Party – too many superficial characters and activities NOT MENTIONED IN THE SYNOPSIS that didn’t interest me. I don’t care to read about back-stabbing and gossiping adults, football, parent drama, astrology, Celtic lore, witchcraft, ‘babs’ nor vlogs. Had I known this going in, I wouldn’t have selected this book. I also think other readers will struggle with the competing storylines. I felt let down by the ending and completely deceived by the synopsis….again.

Please don’t make my personal tastes a gauge as to whether this book would interest you. It’s been likened to HBO’s Big Little Lies in several reviews. The cover and tagline is great and the author has published several books.

Publishes October 25, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Claire Seeber, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

EXCERPT: ALEX: Mist had begun to gather all along the edge of the woods - the Whispering Woods - as day slipped into night. When I'd arrived, I'd parked the Land Rover beside other cars, but now it stood alone near the looming trees, which looked like they were floating behind the carpark as tendrils of mist crept through them like smoky fingers.

There was something nameless but intensely intimidating in the air; something about the height and thickness of the trees, the twisted trunks just visible as I hurried to the car; something ancient and mythical and utterly uninviting. The surface of the dark pool by the gates was also seething with mist now, and the strange bottles stacked along the wall no longer glinted, the weak autumn sun having given up for the day.

ABOUT 'THE PARENTS': Moving to this village was supposed to be a fresh start for me and my thirteen-year-old son Harry. After the tragic death of my husband, it was a chance to leave everything bad behind and make better memories at Primrose Cottage, the postcard-perfect house with honeysuckle around the door.

However, things haven’t exactly been easy since we arrived, and after what we’ve been though, I’m scared of letting anyone new into our lives.

But when one of the local dads asks Harry to join the weekend sports club, I find myself saying yes. The smile on my son’s face gives me hope that I might have made the right decision in uprooting our lives.

All the other parents seem so kind in welcoming me into the fold. At least, they are to begin with… Until someone begins anonymously exposing secrets about everyone in the group.

As betrayals surface and the claws come out, I see how imperfect these people really are; and how far they’ll go to hide the truth. Then when one of the parents ends up dead at the end of a party, I realise that it’s not just lies and scandal they’re covering up.

Too late, I realise that I should have stayed away…

MY THOUGHTS: I should have stayed away too.

At 47%, when I found myself thinking that I would rather go get a tooth pulled, I closed the covers for the final time.

This author can write; there's no disputing that, and had she continued in the vein of the extract above, I would still be avidly flipping pages. Instead we get cardboard cutout characters with absolutely no depth, who fancy themselves as WAGS, and a bunch of wannabe footballers pushing their failed aspirations down the throats of the under 14 team.

Mystery? Who's behind the 'revealing' video clips that are tearing apart the lives of the footballers enclave? Don't care. Mysterious death? Hasn't happened yet, and I am not interested enough to wait around for it.

And I never want to hear the term 'babs' again - unless it's an abbreviation of Barbara. What is it, anyway? 'Babe' I can understand, but 'babs'?

Sorry, but The Parents gets a resounding thumbs down from me.

The Parents by Claire Seeber may well be a book that you enjoy, so please check out a selection of the more positive reviews if you are considering reading it.

⭐.5

#TheParents #NetGalley

I: @claireseeberauthor @bookouture

T: @claireseeber @Bookouture

#contemporaryfiction #domesticdrama #mystery

THE AUTHOR: After a stab at being a (bad) actress, best-selling author Claire directed factual TV for years, before writing the first of eight psychological thrillers, including the chart-topping Never Tell and The Stepmother. In 2012, she was nominated for a CWA Dagger for He Does Not Always See Her. She also writes for stage and screen, features for newspapers such as The Guardian & The Independent and is a qualified Gestalt therapist, when she’s not writing or herding feral kids (hers) or animals.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Parents by Claire Seeber for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

It did take a little while for this book to get going. It has basically two story threads running through. Some chapters we hear from Alex who has moved to the town from America. She has lost her husband, perhaps an accident, but Alex can’t help thinking suicide maybe? She has moved here with her young 13 year old son and her older daughter. We soon see the relationship between Alex and her daughter has become a difficult one and that her daughter is struggling coming to terms with the death of her father.

The other chapters are told from the point of view of Patti a popular member of the community who owns the local beauty salon. Patti tends to be a little pushy when Alex arrives in the community and almost insists that she becomes friends with Patti.

There are a fair few characters to get your head around, along with their children as well. At the beginning of the book there is a list of all the characters, who they’re married to and the names of their children, but in all honesty I wouldn’t bother trying to memorise, as you read through the book you get to know who all the important characters are anyway.

The fact that the plot revolves around a local youth football team didn’t really engage me – I hate football, so the worst subject in the world for me. It certainly isn’t all about the football though, and once the hate blogs and vlogs start appearing, things begin to liven up.

I think I preferred the storyline and the character of Alex over the others, but having said that things do get pretty heated towards the end of the book. I thought the pace and my interest picked up quite a bit at just over half way through. I wouldn’t in all honesty describe this as a thriller, but it was entertaining and had a satisfactory ending.

I am sorry to say that I found this book to be a bit odd. I like quirky, and it was that so I thought it would appeal to me more, but it just didn't resonate with me. I so wanted to like it, and can only hope it was just me and other readers enjoy it more. .

The Parents by Claire Seeber was my first read from this author, and I must admit that it left me feeling a little underwhelmed. What sounded a promising premise fell short, and I failed to be gripped in any significant or memorable way. I will, however, look forward to Ms Seeber's next release.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

This book was really difficult to finish, it doesn't happen often to me with thrillers, sometimes it takes a while to get going but I always finish. While reading this book the temptation to skip was very strong, nothing to do with the writing style which is fine, but the story was messy and got a bit weird, although it was twisty enough and that is a good thing in a thriller. I have nothing against books set in villages or that they feature a football team, this just wasn't for me, shame I wanted to like it. Too many characters for a start, which is a shame as it looked promising and certainly Claire Seeber is good at describing some feelings and her prose is good, unfortunately there were far too many characters some descriptions were too sketchy.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I don’t know if was the style it was written or the length of the book, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. And that’s okay! It may be yours. That’s the beauty of books. One thing that I might not fancy, someone else may love.

While I couldn’t quite love this book, there were some high points. The mystery was definitely there. It was full of twists and turns. Jam packed with characters and drama to go with them.

If you’re wanting a thriller, try it out! It might be your new favorite book.

I loved the idea of a small village where everyone knows each other. The idea of your darkest secrets coming to the surface in a close community like that is a fear I think everyone can relate to.
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We see the story from two different points of view. Patti, who has all the insight in what goes on in this small community. And Alex, the newest member in the town. I loved seeing both sides of the situation with two completely different narratives.
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While the characters were well written, I felt the story was a bit lacking in some parts. Some parts were really slow and dull but it soon changed and made me invested all over again and I found myself curios and intruiged. The plot didn't have much of a wow factor and I found some parts really odd and it didn't make much sense for me.
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I did however enjoy the read and I would recommend it to everyone who loves a slow book with an intriguing storyline.

Rating: 3.75
Enjoyment: 7


Recently widowed, our protagonist seeks a fresh start for her and her children. Despite living in an idyllic home, things are still hard, and Alex avoids letting anyone into their lives.

The first step she takes into trusting others is allowing Harry to join the weekend sports club at the request of one of the local dads. Harry is thrilled, Alex is hopeful. When they get such a warm welcome, Alex believes she made t right choice, but then, someone starts sending anonymous messages exposing everyone's secret.

Things get worse when one of the parents dies at the end of the party, and Alex realizes these parents are covering up more than just lies and scandals, and she should have kept to herself.

The Parents is my second Seeber book, and I think that her character work is impressive. Even though there were too many characters in this book and not all of them as fleshed out, the main characters were compelling, multidimensional, and believable.

I really enjoyed the premise of the book, but I felt a little blindsided by the synopsis. I was expecting The Parents to be a slow-burning, character-driven domestic thriller. And it was – only there was more. Later in the book, there was this choice of narrative that I feel will make or break the reader's experience. (I know I am vague, but to mention it might be considered a spoiler). Maybe it would better serve the book to say it upfront in the synopsis, but I understand why it isn't.

With that said, I really enjoyed the part of the plot that explored the titular parents and their relationships, especially once the blog posts start! Juicy stuff.

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. I am thankful to Bookouture, Claire Seeber, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Parents in exchange for an honest review.

This book is very clever and certainly not predictable. People's lives, both past and present, were exposed for all to see. I was fully invested in their wellbeing and was willing for things to be put right. Alex arrived from America (with her own grief) to a very quirky village, riddled with stories of witches, where everyone thinks they know everything about each other - how wrong they were. It's a must read!

The Parents was not what I expected it to be. It did end up being more supernatural meets Big Little Lies, which is fine but not what I thought the book was about. I did struggle with the amount of time was spent around the sports aspect of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookoutre for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry this book wasnt for me. too many characters I was just lost and none were interesting enough so I gave up I wont review this book outside of NetGalley as I never review books I cant finish.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated ARC in return for an honest review.

The matter of fact that is a good read but there are a lot of characters I couldn't follow, and a lot of football I am not familiar with. The story is about parent jealously and rivalry. I am a bit disappointed that the half way of the story getting overloaded. It's not up to the standard of the other books of this Claire Seeber. This one is no better than her other books. But it's worth have a read. It's quite entertaining. All in all, it's quite a slower burn and I lost my interest at half way.

I really hate when I don’t like a book. I think I’m pretty good at picking books based on the synopsis, but whoever wrote the synopsis for this book LIED!

Okay, they didn’t lie. The synopsis is all true…Alex and her two kids move to a new town after the death of her husband/their father. She soon finds that the group of parents she’s surrounded by are snobbish, petty, competitive and full of drama. They are like teenagers, playing on WhatsApp, and someone knows a lot about them. Like, who they’re having affairs with, pictures to prove it, who is at what sex clubs, etc. Everyone is scared that their secrets are about to be exposed when the app starts dinging…

That part of the book was actually good, but it was less than half of the book. That premise alone could’ve made for a great thriller/drama, and I would have really enjoyed it. But you add in astrology, witchcraft, covens, Celtic folklore - all things I don’t care about - and it just got weird. If any of those things were mentioned in the synopsis, I wouldn’t have chosen this book to read. I also was not a fan of the writing style whatsoever.

Maybe you like those things, and you’d love this book. I’m just not into supernatural stuff and I couldn’t wait for it to end. Then I finally got there, and the ending was as boring as the rest of the book. I’m giving it 1.5 stars, rounded up to two because I’ve never rated a book one star and don’t want to start now. Plus, I did like the actual parts about the parents.

(I’d like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

I unfortunately DNF'd this book. I just couldn't get into it as I felt it was extremely slow with not enough buildup to keep it going. This was my first Seeber but not my last. I like the prose, just not the story.

After the tragic loss Alex and her two children move from USA to bucolic British village. Here everything centres around boys football team. All the parents are in a way connected in a team efforts and hidden grudges just wait to reveal themselves. When an anonymous vlogger gets busy disclosing them, the real drama begins to happen.
The village itself has a history of witchcraft, the forest nearby is ancient, mythical and utterly uninviting.

The Tiger parents are so busy with their own dirty little secrets, full of sordid scandals, rivalries and pathetic ambitions and obviously their children aren't so important to them as they claim.

The Parents is about what happens when things go awry, and ambitions and dreams are horribly broken.

Fun and gripping read with interesting characters and fast-paced narration.

I liked almost everything about this book, the writing style, the plot, the characters, the ONLY thing that was a bit meh for me was how much football there was. Total personal preference, I don't like reading about sports, watching sports (even if it is kids and the plot centers around a kids football team) it got a bit tedious. That being said, it was twisty, and suspenseful, and I loved the bit of witch hunting history sprinkled in. I can tell this author's style is right up my alley, and I'll be checking out more of her books, because I have a feeling I'll enjoy them even more than I did this one.

A huge thanks to Bookouture for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows Alex, her children, and her thirteen-year-old son Harry who move to a house at Primrose Cottage following the tragic death of her husband due to a hiking accident. Like every family, there are hoping for a new start and they think harry joining a local team is a step in the right direction. Things go haywire when someone in the parent group she has joined starts exposing secrets about everyone in the group.

The premise of the book was interesting but I wanted it to be more fast-paced.